I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life. These words of Henry David Thoreau seem to mirror the basic unfulfilled desires of a society searching for a “new normal” in a climate of constant change. So, what do we do when there is no such thing as a “new normal” in sight? When we are caught up in a topsy-turvy society battered by uncertainty and doubt?
The answer to this question lies far beyond the boundaries of our everyday experience, but Villa Zoomers grappled with this question, conscious that they are very much in the midst of 21st century transitions and aware that answers must be found deep within the heart of each individual. In a very real sense, it is their goodness and prayerfulness that will lead a conflicted world through the miasma of an unknown future.
This does not imply that the journeying will be easy. The Coronavirus and a host of universal problems have sent the world into a tailspin. In the words of Illia Delio, OSF, theologian and author, these life issues have “created a global climate of panic, anxiety, fear and depression.” Evolution is speeding up and technology is the fastest train on the track. Society, caught in the throes of a techno culture (humanity melded to electronic devices), somehow finds itself in a faceoff as the oncoming train bears down upon it. Maybe one of the gifts of the present moment, for Zoomers and for all mankind, is the invitation to turn to our inner selves, to the deserts of our hearts. I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately…
Strange as it seems, today’s world remains a time of unrelenting promise. In a very real sense, we are in a position to create a new tomorrow. Delio tells us “we have a chance to rewire ourselves for a new existence,“ one lived deliberately and deeply in the “inner room of the heart” where we will find an unyielding Power that enables us to face whatever lies ahead. What an exciting gift is ours!
